Introduction: The importance of access to critical minerals for the energy transition
Achieving a sustainable energy transition that limits greenhouse gas emissions while promoting inclusive economic growth and development is crucial for addressing climate change yet remains a significant challenge. Green technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles, and hydrogen fuel cells lie at the heart of this transition. These technologies, however, rely on specific metals and minerals—aluminium, cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, and others—several of which remain hard to access for many countries, and are in limited supply. Demand for each mineral varies by each clean…
Introduction
Virtually every country is experiencing a growth in the size and proportion of older persons in the population, a demographic change with significant economic and social consequences (UN DESA, 2023). Several of these developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, will also experience a large increase in their young working age populations, presenting a unique opportunity to improve living standards for all, including those who would be ageing out of the workforce.
A larger working-age population can contribute to increased labour force participation, driving economic growth and productivity. Individuals in this group tend to also accumulate savings at a higher rate,…
Frontier Technology Issues: Harnessing the economic dividends from demographic change
Introduction
While fertilizers, genetically modified crops, and biotechnology have brought substantial benefits for farmers in recent decades, the accelerated application of smart, digital, and precision agricultural technologies offers a historic opportunity to improve farm productivity going forward. Such technologies are wide-ranging, including small mobile applications for decision support, field sensors and remote sensing technologies for data collection, drones and robots for automation of processes, and digital platforms for market access and sales. Use of these technologies helps address information asymmetries and deficiencies facing farmers, particularly smallholders, which can…
Frontier Technology Issues: Frontier technologies for smallholder farmers: addressing information asymmetries and deficiencies
Download Frontier Technology Issues: Lithium-ion batteries: a pillar for a fossil fuel-free economy? (PDF)
Introduction
In 2019, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to three scientists for the development of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries that, according to the Academy, have laid the foundation for a fossil fuel-free economy. Li-ion batteries can safely store large amounts of energy, ensuring stable and predictable flows of electricity even in decentralized immobile (i.e., stationary) or mobile modes in remote areas. The increasing popularity of passenger electric vehicles and electric buses is largely a result of the capacity improvement of Li-ion…
Frontier Technology Issues: Lithium-ion batteries: a pillar for a fossil fuel-free economy?
The severity of plastic pollution is now well-recognized, and countries and communities are looking for innovative solutions for addressing this menace of the modern age. This issue of the Frontier Technology Quarterly shows that new technologies such as nanotechnology, genetic modification and advanced chemical processes can help curb plastic pollution by developing natural substitutes and producing more biodegradable plastics. However, appropriate policies are needed to maximize the potential of new technologies for winning the fight against plastic pollution. Interventions at the production stage will have to be complemented by interventions at other stages of the plastics life cycle,…
Frontier Technology Quarterly: Frontier technologies for addressing plastic pollution
Summary: Productivity growth has slowed down markedly since the global financial crisis. Many factors have been proposed as underlying forces behind this phenomenon, including a slower pace of technological progress and the role of weak demand and lower capital investment. However, one factor that has received relatively less attention is the slowdown in international trade. By exploiting the firm heterogeneity dimension, recent advances in the literature on international trade offer interesting insights to understand the relationship between the weaknesses in global trade and the deceleration in productivity growth. In particular, it shows how trade, investment and technology decisions at…
Development Issues No. 11: The Slowdown in Productivity Growth: A View from International Trade
Summary: Achieving the SDGs requires an enhanced global part?nership for the mobilization of financial resources. Long-term financial flows, such as remittances, FDI and ODA, can support investments that are critical for productive employment and growth in developing countries. A review of recent trends suggests the need for a renewed commitment and enhanced efforts by the international community to support financing for sustainable development. It also points out at potential risks of debt sustainability for a few developed and some emerging economies.
The Development Policy and Analysis Division at DESA has prepared a series of policy notes to review current trends in the global economy…
Development Issues No. 10: International financial flows and external debt
Summary: Developed countries? economic performance since the global financial crisis has been disappointing, with subdued growth, weak labour markets, low levels of investment and poor productivity growth. This combination of poor performance and constrained policy options has ignited a debate over the fundamental causes of what some call is a ?secular stagnation? in developed economies. Averting a secular stagnation scenario, with negative long term impacts over the possibility of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, will require policies that address the short-and long-term factors behind the underlying savings-investment imbalance.
The Development Policy and Analysis Division at…
Development Issues No. 9: Low growth with limited policy options? Secular Stagnation ? Causes, Consequences and Cures
Summary: As indicated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, sustained economic growth will continue to be an important objective in developing countries, especially in those where extreme poverty is widespread and income per capita remains low. This has been, however, a major challenge for many developing countries, with the exception of the first years of the 21st century, up to the financial crisis in 2008. Since then, the global economy has remained on a markedly lower trajectory and the situation has progressively deteriorated for developing countries. More than ever, developing countries need to design a policy framework to strengthen domestic fundamentals for growth and to…
Development Issues No. 8: Global context for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Sustained global economic growth
Summary: The global economy remains trapped in prolonged episode of slow growth, of which weak international trade is both a cause and a symptom. While developing countries have become more integrated and benefitted from international trade in recent years, this has also made them more vulnerable to a slowdown in global trade. Ensuring an enabling global environment for trade is thus critical for progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular given the risks associated with protectionism and inward-looking policies, which is on the rise in many countries.
The Development Policy and Analysis Division at DESA, has prepared a series of policy notes to review current trends…
Development Issues No. 7: Global context for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: International trade
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